Forwards
by MISSYAlexandra
Summary: Kate's emotions are running high after a long, draining week. Returning to her Castle, she misinterprets his actions, pushing them in the only direction possible: forwards. Established Caskett. Fluff.


After a long day and what seemed to be an infinite week of non-stop murder investigations, Kate Beckett breathed a sigh of relief as the realisation hit her that it was finally over and she could take the next few days to rest, relax and recuperate. She slid her keys into the lock of her boyfriend's loft—scratch that, _their_ loft—opened and closed the door, slipped out of her black pumps, removed her jacket and tossed it on the back of a nearby chair.

Speaking of her boyfriend, lover, best friend and partner in more things than just solving crime, where was he? He hadn't gone with her to the precinct to work, creepily watch her do paperwork or to irritate her, instead, he only showed up when he came bearing coffee or lunch each day and even then, he only stayed half an hour at most. It was becoming strange without him there, something she'd actually admit to now that they'd been together for over a year. She snapped herself out of her daydreaming reverie, putting an end to her reminiscing about the last twelve months... and what a wonderful twelve months it had been, she thought, smirking to herself.

Linking her fingers together above her head and pressing upwards in an almost cat-like way, she stretched as though she'd never done it before, her aching muscles pulling and bones cracking under the tension, but it felt amazing nonetheless.

Deciding she needed to track down Castle, who had been behaving in a seriously odd manner for the past month or so, but she couldn't quite figure out why. Padding through the living room in her thin knee high stockings, she revelled in the feeling of the immaculate, hard, polished, wooden floorboards underneath her tired feet.

A fleeting thought came to mind, "Is he breaking up with me?" which caused her to stop abruptly. Knowing better, she quickly dismissed the thought from her mind, mentally chastising herself for even considering it for a second. No way, not after everything they'd been through, not after how long it took them to get to the point they were at today. She wasn't going to leave him and he wasn't going to leave her.

She found the door to his office ajar, nudged it open further with her hand to reveal Castle sitting as his desk with his feet crossed and propped up on the top of the surface, using his laptop for an obvious non-work related purpose and an empty mug on the desk next to him; it was a picture of normality.

Sensing someone's presence in the room, he looked up from his laptop and upon realisation that it was Kate, he beamed at her from across the distance.

"Kate" he breathed, still after all this time, completely in awe of her. He would and could never stop loving this incredible woman.

She would never quite grasp how after so many years he could reduce her to feeling like it was their first "real" date all over again. Already she could feel the accumulated tension of the week melting away and he'd only said her name.

She crossed the length of his office to stand in front of him, leaning against his desk while wheeling his chair closer to her, crowding her against the surface. He rested his hands on the lower part of the back of her thighs, the span of his hands warm just above the backs of her knees, gently squeezing through her denim clad legs.

"I've been waiting for you to come home" he murmured loud enough for just her to hear, despite the emptiness of the loft. With Alexis at college and Martha increasing the number of acting classes she was holding each week, it had primarily been just the two of them for most of the time now.

"Long day?" he asked, looking up to meet her weary eyes.

"More like long week" she scoffed, leaning her upper body forward from her perch on the desk to place one hand on his shoulder and using the other to caress his neck, jaw and cheek.

"Hey, listen, I was thinking—" he started, but was cut off.

"Are you breaking up with me?" she blurted out, the grip of her hands tensing on his shoulders, suddenly missing a "think before you speak" filter, overcome with only the concept of her fleeting thoughts of fear which had planted their seeds in her brain earlier.

"What? No! Kate, I would never!" he argued, slightly hurt by her assumption.

She stood up from the desk, pushed his chair back so she could get past and made a beeline for the corner of the room. She stood there, facing away from him attempting to gain some semblance of composure that slipped away with her totally unexpected outburst. She willed herself not to cry, not tonight, or at least not now.

It didn't take long for Castle to follow her, unsure exactly what to do, he settled for rubbing his hands up and down her arms, attempting to soothe her, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt for his somewhat suspicious behaviour over the last month that lead her to drawing her terrifying conclusion.

"I'm not breaking up with you, Kate. I could never do that. Do you honestly have any idea how much I love you? Not to sound too cliché or corny, but I do love you more than words could ever say" he spoke softly into her ear, wrapping his strong arms around her slender waist and kissing her cheek.

Kate let out a laugh at the last part of his vocalisation of his immense affection for her, but was overcome by a sob from earlier she was unable to quell, a few tears racing down her cheeks. The lingering stress of the past week coupled with general tiredness was finally taking its toll on her, and she wondered why it had to be in this form.

He decided now was the time to be honest with her about what he was doing. Needing to look her in the eye when he did this, he moved his hands to her hips and swiftly turned her around to face him, placed his hands across her lower back, which she reciprocated by draping hers across his shoulders, linking her fingers together behind his neck.

"Kate. The reason why I've been acting weird... or at least I think you think I've been acting weird for the past month isn't because I was trying to find an easy way to break up with you" he told her sincerely "I was going to ask you to marry me" he heard her gasp, eyes wide with the antithesis of fear "I still haven't been able to think of how, where and when I was going to ask you. I considered every tradition, crazy idea and sappy speech that I have ever had any remote knowledge about. But you're different, Kate. We're different and those traditions, crazy ideas and sappy speeches aren't us. I don't have a ring yet, but Katherine Beckett, detective or not, you are the extraordinary woman I fell in love with five years ago and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life loving you, so long as I'm able to and I can only ask that you'll love me back" he paused to take a breath. "Kate Beckett, will you marry me?" he unintentionally held his breath, anxiously awaiting her response, asking whatever higher power that might be listening to him right now to tip the odds in his favour.

He watched in anticipation as one of the biggest, most beautiful, radiant smiles he has ever seen in the history of their relationship grace her face and at that moment, he knew they were getting their always.

"Oh god, Castle! Yes, of course I'll marry you" she beamed as she launched herself at him, crushing her lips to his, almost toppling over together into a heap on the floor at the force of her passionate attack.

Breaking apart for air, Kate sunk back to the soles of her feet, a few inches between them now that she was without shoes and he was standing in front of her at full height. She stepped closer to him once again, pulling him impossibly close, burying her face in the crook of his neck and breathing in the scent that was so uniquely him.

"Never again, lonely will we be" he whispered into her ear, placing one hand on her hip and threading the other through her dark, silky locks.

She pulled back from him, skimming her fingers down his arm, tangling her fingers with his, tugging on his hand, knowing exactly what she wanted. He obliged as she lead him toward their bedroom with a shy, yet devious smile plastered on her face.

The night was theirs, and no one else's. So when they eventually will rise the next morning, they'll claim the day as theirs, as friends, as partners and as lovers, Kate would get her one and done and Rick would be certain that third time really is a charm.


End file.
